Thermal Printer Product Background

Fujitsu offers a complete line of thermal printer mechanisms, subassemblies, standalone and handheld units that are ultra compact and have very high printing speeds. These 2-, 3- and 4-inch printers are available for 24V and battery-driven (2.7 to 9.5 VDC) operation. Serial, Parallel, USB, IrDA, or Bluetooth® interface boards; automatic rotary and guillotine cutters; and controller ICs are also available.

Fujitsu thermal printers provide OEMs, system integrators, VARs and distributors with rapid, quiet printing for a variety of applications, including:

Fujitsu Thermal Printer Technology

Fujitsu’s thermal printers output a variety of alphanumeric, JIS, ASCII, graphic, standard and 2-D barcode, and international/special characters using the direct-line thermal printing process. In this method, a fixed, heated printhead causes a reaction in temperature-sensitive paper, resulting in a printed image. Printers using this method are particularly appropriate for applications requiring fast data output and quiet equipment operation.

Fujitsu’s thermal printer mechanisms offer up to 203 dots-per-inch resolution and performance reliability in excess of 150 million pulses/150km paper. Standalone POS printers are rated at 2 million cuts/150km paper (1color). Mechanism print speeds range from 60mm to 250mm per second, while the standalone POS printers deliver 60mm-260mm per second speeds– both among the fastest in the industry.

Design Features

Fujitsu printers are designed for easy installation and maintenance. A single, flex circuit cable reduces the number of connections needed. Easy-Load Models (ELM) fully expose the print path with a flip of a lever, allowing drop-in paper loading and simplifying maintenance and the clearing of paper jams. The platen also fully separates from the mechanism, increasing available mounting options. Front or bottom paper paths provide more installation options, as does a tilt mechanism on the kiosk printer.

The printer mechanisms are constructed of a durable, molded plastic and die-cast metal to ensure durability and long life while keeping weight at a minimum. In addition to providing stability and ESD resistance, the metal frame of Fujitsu printer subassemblies can be used to retain or dissipate heat to ensure reliable operation in outdoor or elevated-temperature environments.

Fujitsu’s standalone POS printers are splash-proof to IEC60529 Level 2 specifications. They also offer a high-degree of protection from dust contamination.

Competitive Features

Fujitsu engineers have designed a line of ultra-compact, low-profile cutters that retain the functionality, reliability and speed of the standard cutters. Fujitsu accomplished this, in part, by using two small motors instead of a single motor. Using double motors permits the benefit of motor reversal and avoids the one-way clutch of a single motor. With double motors, customers can:

select partial or full cuts

reverse the paper direction

adjust the paper header as needed

reduce the peak motor current

add functions such as receipt/journaling

Fujitsu printers also feature a silicone platen that is capable of enduring a wider range of temperatures than a rubber platen. Consequently, Fujitsu printers can be used in a variety of applications where temperature fluctuations may be factor, without compromising output quality and reliability.

For handheld and mobile OEM designs, Fujitsu expanded the functionality of its ultra-compact printer mechanisms by developing an “Easy-Load” platen release mechanism. Although automatic paper loading is still supported, the easy-load mechanism fully exposes the paper path for drop-in loading of a wide range of paper stocks. After the paper is loaded, a mechanism locks the platen into place to prevent damage to it during the auto-loading or cutting process.

As the use of intelligent kiosks and self-service terminals increases, future Fujitsu thermal printer developments will include more compact designs, more low-profile cutters, higher resolution print heads, and a Wi-Fi interface for mobile printers.